After 17 years of touting the idea that less is more and simple living is a way of life, it seems as though the message is finally resonating with the American public.

Mount Airy resident Wanda Urbanska, the author of several books accenting the importance of getting back to basics and living a simpler life, has appeared on the Oprah show and now has been quoted in this month’s edition of “O” (The Oprah magazine) for her vision.

In an article titled “Back to Basics” by Allison Glock, Urbanska, 52, was quoted as being “the defacto Martha Stewart of the voluntary simplicity movement.”

Glock interviewed Urbanska by phone, dispensing her wisdom from her home named “The Sunflower House” in October.

Urbanksa is expecting another phone interview tomorrow from Ladies’ Home Journal magazine. Being in the spotlight is not intimating to the veteran writer and television producer. She has penned and co-authored six books and has appeared on both the Today show on NBC and on CBS This Morning. She also produced and starred in Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska, a television series that debuted on PBS stations around the country in July 2004.

After the book “Simple Living: One Couple’s Search for a Better Life” she wrote with her ex-husband Frank Levering was published, the couple appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show.

“I remember in 1992 when we were on Oprah, there was a lot of buzz about the book. People at that time were sort of treating us like we were wackos. We felt like they were saying, ‘these people are zealots or fanatics.’ Now, it is so mainstream, people don’t even question it. It’s almost like all of America has become an advocate of simple living.”

She said the word “simple” and “simplifying” have become almost cliché in the way people use it in everyday life.

“I think it is because people have come to understand that life is so complicated. We are all multitasking. Many people are undergoing financial problems. There is too much on our plate and not enough time in the day to geteverything done. Also, people now have more things than they can thoughtfully possess.”

Urbanska says she believes people are now starting to understand that having too much can be a burden rather than a blessing.

“I think people are starting to gravitate back to simple living. I believe that simple living is the wave of the future.”

She noted that although gas prices have come down from an all time high of over $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008, consumers are still gravitating toward buying smaller cars and traveling less. She noted that even the idea of owning a smaller home has become a trend across America.

“It is the less is more philosophy.”

Urbanska believes that the financial crisis of 2008 really pushed Americans toward the idea of simple living. She said paring down is one way toward simplifying.

“I think the first thing people need to do is to take a big picture assessment of their lives. You need to ask yourself, are you achieving what you want to in your life? If you are stuck in a job that isn’t satisfying or you are working with people who are giving you ulcers, then you may want to re-evaluate. Sometimes people are stuck in a situation because they have very high bills to pay and it’s hard to get out of that cycle.”

She said in order to develop a master plan, people need to stop “hemorrhaging” money in areas where they can cut back.

“We are in sort of a unique situation now where so many people have lost their jobs. Life doesn’t feel like it’s normal right now. You can look at your housing situation, if you are in a situation where you are living in more house than you need. The only caveat here, it that is it hard to sell a house right now. Perhaps when things level back out people will be able to downsize to a life that is more manageable — more enjoyable.”

Urbanska said one of the steps toward streamlining your life to a point where you can appreciate less things more of the time is to take an inventory of what you truly love.

“I hate to throw anything away that still has usefulness. I think you need to donate items that you no longer need and find uses for the things that really do matter to you,” she said as she played with a necklace made of vintage buttons and ribbon given to her by a friend for Christmas. “These are the kinds of things that truly matter.”

Urbanska spoke of the current economic condition of the country.

“I would love to see American industry retake some of their lost ground. I know the consumers are there. You can see that in the hybrid vehicles because people were actually paying more for them (than a regular gasoline-only vehicle) because they could see the value in it over the long run. They wanted to do the right thing, they wanted to help the environment and I think that is true for other products as well.”

Urbanska moved from Los Angeles to a cherry orchard in Carroll County back in 1986. Married at the time, she and her former husband were seeking a simpler life. As it turns out, they were not alone in their pursuit of simplicity back then.

“Then as today, people from every walk of life are working to reshape lives, to get back to basics, to build meaningful relationships and secure, caring communities.”

“We all want to learn how to budget time and money, how to lessen the environmental impact of our lifestyle on the planet,” Urbanska said.

Curled up on a sofa in her living room with a cup of hot tea, Urbanska pointed out that there isn’t a television in sight. She does, however, keep a 12-inch set in a small corner of the home for her son, Henry, to watch DVDs.

The PBS show “Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska” examines what people can do to make their lives easier and more stress-free, from buying products that will last a long time to managing budgets more responsibly. The show focuses on four themes: Environmental stewardship, thoughtful consumption, community involvement and financial responsibility.

Although production of the television show is on a hiatus for some restructuring purposes, it can still be seen on Sunday nights on UNC-TV.

Urbanska is in the process of publishing a new book called “Less Is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, A Caring Economy & Lasting Happiness,” which is to be published by New Society Publishers in the fall of 2009.

Among the books she has already written or co-authored are “Simple Living: One Couple’s Search for a Better Life” (Viking/Penguin: 1992), “Moving to a Small Town” (Simon & Schuster: 1996), “Christmas on Jane Street” (William Morrow & Co.: 1998), and “Nothing’s Too Small To Make A Difference” (2004).

She hosted the PBS primetime special Escape from Affluenza: Living Better on Less and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today show, CBS This Morning and on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

More information about Urbanska is available at www.simplelivingtv.net. Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska will appear tonight on UNC-TV at 6:30 p.m.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.